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"Something isn't sitting right."
"Talk to me." Yeah he understands, he knows that there's more to this than meets the eye.
"When I first got into the house and realized that Mia and Lacey were gone I assumed that was Juan."
"And you don't now?" There's no judgment in his voice. That makes a change.
"I'm not sure. This is too sophisticated to be Juan's idea. I think there's more to play here and I can't figure out what." I’ve never been so honest with my dad before about my feelings. I'm the boss, I should have seen this coming, I should know who has her.
"Son, you're going to find her." I shake my head in disgust, he didn't say we, he said you're. He has no intention of helping me. I shouldn't be surprised, but yet I am. I didn't think my dad could stoop so low, and yet here we are.
"Yeah I will," I say with so much conviction I will not rest until I find her… find them.
"Call me if or when you have any news," he tells me sounding disinterested.
"Sure." I end the call. My temper is rising but I should’ve known that my dad will be no help. There is one person though who is always guaranteed to listen and offer a bit of insight.
Ten minutes later I'm pulling into my mom's drive. After switching off the engine I see she's sitting on the porch in her little rocking chair. Noticing me she looks up, a frown marring her face. When she recognizes it’s me, her face lights up. She's wearing makeup, it's been a very long time since I saw my mom look so polished. Her hair is done for the first time in months, gone is the grey that grew from the roots, it's now replaced with black. Not only has her appearance changed but so has the color of the house. It used to be a dirty white color and unkempt whereas now, it's a bright white. I frown when I realize that the lawn has been mowed. Damn, have I entered the twilight zone?
"Hudson, what a pleasant surprise," she says with a bright smile as she gets up off the chair and walks over to me with her arms open wide waiting for me to walk into them. She’s wearing a fitted dress and heels. They look out of place. When her and dad’s marriage ended she started wearing sweats. I don’t remember the last time I saw mom looking so well.
I smile at her as her arms enclose around me. "Hey, Mom."
She makes a tutting noise. "What's your father done now?"
I fight the urge to smile. "What hasn't he done?" Mom laughs. I take a seat on the chair beside her rocking chair. "Mom, Mia's been taken." It guts me to say it. I still can't believe she's gone. I can't believe I wasn't there to protect her. I should have been. She was supposed to be safe.
Mom gasps. "Hudson?" Tears swimming in her eyes. "How?"
I shrug. "I've no idea. Mom, I don't know who took her. I feel useless I don't know where to look. I have my suspicions, but even then I don't think they’re right. My gut’s screaming at me that there's more to it, but my brain can't think. It's like I'm in a fog. I can't see clearly, Mom."
"Hudson," she says slowly as she comes to take a seat beside me. "Deep breath. Take a deep breath, you need to take a step back and be the Boss."
I stare at her, this isn't what I thought this conversation was going to be like.
Mom laughs at me. "Hudson you're my boy. I know you better than you know yourself. Right now you're coming apart at the seams. Usually if something happens you know how to deal with it because it doesn't affect you, you know how to deal with everyone else. Hudson this is Mia we're talking about. She's your princess and that means she's yours.” Her hand gently touches my cheek. “Right now you're acting like Mia's man. But baby boy, that's not going to help anyone." She grasps my hand, squeezing it as she looks at me, her eyes full of unshed tears. “Hudson, you’re the Boss for a reason. It’s time to remember that.”
I understand what she means, it's just difficult thinking about anything else other than getting Mia back.
"Hudson I don't know how it all works, not anymore. When your father and I first got together, I knew how everything worked but since then it's changed and it's changed even more since you've taken over. But one thing remains the same, you are the Boss. You run this town, so start acting like it." Her smile is wide, she’s trying to help which is a hell of a lot more than what dad’s trying to do.
"My men are on this, Mom. I have everyone looking for her and looking for the man I believe could have a part in this. I am being the Boss, because that is who I am."
She shakes her head. "Yes, you are the boss. It is who you are. That's not who you are being now. You’re distraught Hudson, anyone looking at you can see it. You’re still that badass that you have the reputation of being, but to me, your mother, I can see that you're on the edge of breaking. I know what Mia means to you, which means I also know how this is affecting you. You're not in the right frame of mind to focus and that needs to change. If you want to find Mia, your mind-set needs to change."
I blow out a deep breath, she's right. I'm not in the right mind-set, but fuck if I'll let anyone know it.
"Talk to me, there's something you’re not telling me. You said your gut's screaming at you. What is it telling you?" she's pleading with me, she wants to help and right now I think the best thing for me to do is take that help.
"Okay," I tell her and her face lights up. "I hadn't told Mia the truth about me. About what I do."
Her shoulders sag. "Oh Hudson, why?"
I'm not admitting to why. I didn't tell her because I wanted her to fall in love with me first, that way she would have stayed. That worked out fucking well didn't it? "Tina told her." I can't keep the contempt out of my voice when I say her name.
"Why? What did she gain out of telling her?"
“I don't know, all I do know is that woman is a selfish..." I shake my head not finishing the sentence because as much as I hate Tina she's Mia's Mom.
